Felodipine tablets

About felodipine

Felodipine is given to treat ارتفاع ضغط الدم (فرط ضغط الدم). It is also taken to help prevent angina chest pain. You may have been prescribed it for either of these reasons.

Felodipine works by causing some of your blood vessels to relax and widen. This lowers your blood pressure. It also reduces the force and the rate of your heartbeat, and this helps to prevent angina chest pain. It does these things by blocking the amount of calcium that goes into the 'smooth' muscle cells in the walls of your arteries and in your heart. Calcium is needed for muscles to contract, so reducing the amount of calcium causes the muscle cells to relax.

Felodipine is manufactured as a modified-release tablet. This means that the tablets release felodipine slowly and evenly throughout the course of the day. Felodipine is also available as a combination tablet with a medicine called ramipril, which also reduces high blood pressure. Combination tablets help to reduce the total number of tablets you need to take each day.

Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine may only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking felodipine it is important that your doctor knows:

• If you have any heart problems (other than angina or high blood pressure).

• إذا كنت حاملاً أو مرضعة.

• إذا كنت تواجه مشاكل في طريقة عمل الكبد لديك.

• إذا كنت تتناول أو تستخدم أي أدوية أخرى. يشمل ذلك أي أدوية تتناولها والتي يمكن شراؤها بدون وصفة طبية، بالإضافة إلى الأدوية العشبية والمكملات الغذائية.

• إذا كنت قد تعرضت في أي وقت مضى لرد فعل تحسسي تجاه دواء.

• Before you start this treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside your pack. It will give you more information about felodipine and will provide you with a full list of the side-effects which you may experience from taking the tablets.

• Felodipine is taken once a day. There are three strengths of felodipine tablets available - 2.5 mg, 5 mg and 10 mg. It is common to be prescribed the 5 mg strength tablets at first. Your doctor will tell you which is right for you.

• Take your tablet in the morning. Swallow it whole with a drink of water. Do not break, crush or chew the tablet, as this will affect the way the medicine is released into your bloodstream. You can take felodipine either before or after you have breakfast.

• If you forget to take a dose at your usual time, take it as soon as you remember. If you do not remember until the following day, leave out the missed dose. Do not take two doses together to make up for a forgotten dose.

• حاول الحفاظ على مواعيدك المنتظمة مع طبيبك. هذا لكي يتمكن طبيبك من متابعة تقدمك.

• Your doctor will discuss with you the possibility of unwanted side-effects. When you first start taking felodipine you may experience headaches, feeling flushed, and some dizziness. These effects usually only last for a few days, but if they continue or become troublesome, you should let your doctor know.

• If you drink alcohol, ask your doctor for advice. Your doctor may recommend that you do not drink alcohol while you are on this medicine, as it may increase the chance that you experience side-effects, such as feeling dizzy or light-headed.

• Treatment with felodipine is usually long-term unless you experience an adverse effect. Continue to take the tablets unless you are told otherwise by your doctor. If it is necessary for you to stop, your doctor may want you to reduce your dose over a few days, as there is some evidence to suggest that stopping taking felodipine suddenly can cause some symptoms to return.

• If you buy any medicines, always check with a pharmacist that they are suitable to take with your other medicines. Some anti-inflammatory painkillers may reduce the effectiveness of felodipine.

• If you need to have an operation or any medical treatment, always tell the person carrying out the treatment which medicines you are taking. Felodipine and some anaesthetics can interact, meaning that unwanted effects are more likely.

• It is not advisable for you to drink grapefruit juice while you are taking felodipine. This is because a chemical in grapefruit juice can increase the amount of felodipine in your bloodstream and this can increase the risk of side-effects.

Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. The table below contains some of the most common ones associated with felodipine. You will find a full list in the manufacturer's information leaflet supplied with your medicine. The unwanted effects often improve as your body adjusts to the new medicine, but speak with your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following continue or become troublesome.

مهم: a few people taking felodipine have experienced worsening of chest pain at the start of treatment - if this happens to you, you must let your doctor know straightaway.

إذا شعرت بأي أعراض أخرى تعتقد أنها قد تكون بسبب الأقراص، تحدث مع طبيبك أو الصيدلي للحصول على مزيد من النصائح.

• احفظ جميع الأدوية بعيدًا عن متناول ورؤية الأطفال.

• احفظه في مكان بارد وجاف، بعيدًا عن الحرارة المباشرة والضوء.